From underdog to champion: Sordyl’s golden finish lights up Dushanbe heavyweight

Men’s heavyweight at the 2026 Dushanbe Grand Slam delivered chaos in the best way: none of the four top seeds made the final. That opened the door for a name many fans are only just getting used to seeing on the big stage—Jakub Sordyl (POL)—and he didn’t hesitate.

Sordyl’s run was built on grit before it became glory. In the semi-final he trailed Ushangi Kokauri (AZE), the number one seed, by Waza-ari, but refused to let the fight drift away. Step by step he forced the pace, squeezed errors out of his opponent and finally turned it around, winning by Yuko and three penalties as Kokauri couldn’t protect the lead under pressure.

When the top seeds fell, Sordyl stayed calm and took the opening.

The final brought another newcomer, 2025 junior world champion Bislan Katamardov (RUS), with both men still chasing their first Grand Slam medal in Dushanbe. Katamardov struck first with Yuko from Kata-guruma. When he went back to the same attack later, Sordyl read it, shut the score down, and immediately pounced in the transition. The referee called “osaekomi,” and Sordyl held for the full 20 seconds—an emphatic finish and a smile that said everything.

Sordyl later explained that after the semi-final he needed time to even take in that he had reached the gold medal match. Once he settled, he focused on the outcome he wanted—and got it.

Europe also had another headline-in-the-making on the block. Twenty-year-old Darius Dobre (ROU) returned to action quickly after losing a bronze fight at the European Championships in Tbilisi, and in Dushanbe he reached a final block in what was his first-ever World Judo Tour appearance. Against the far more experienced Dzhamal Gamzatkhanov (AZE), that gap mattered, and the Azerbaijani secured bronze through three penalties.

In the second bronze contest, Mansurov Mukhammadkodir (UZB) briefly looked set for a breakthrough after scoring Waza-ari with a controlled Sumi-gaeshi against Kokauri, but inexperience and mounting passivity led to the decisive third penalty late on.

Source: JudoInside